Our roving reporter Mark Jenkins takes a look off the beaten track at some of the more interesting French equipment shown at last month's Paris Music Fair.

MIDI has revolutionised the way we make and record music. But it has developed at such an incredible pace that it is easy to lose sight of MIDI's many benefits. In this lengthy article, Craig Anderton provides a lucid explanation of how you can make MIDI work for you - whether you have a small home studio set-up or a full-blown professional system.

'Now the Virgin returns,' quoth Virgil, and who are we to disagree? Mel Lambert takes a colourful look at Richard Branson's new London studio: a Town House for the Lord of the Manor.

Software for the Atari ST

If the usual approach to computer sequencing is unappealing or uninspiring to you, you may find the approach offered by this Atari ST program more to your liking. Chris Meyer finds time for Real Time.

Any Questions?

Part 18. David Mellor concludes this 18-part mammoth series on recording techniques with a handy question and answer session.

Yamaha REV5 Reverb

Is there room at the top for yet another digital reverb unit? Mark Badger thinks so — provided it's 16-bit, has a 20kHz effect bandwidth, analogue and digital parametric EQ, can stack two reverb effects and goes by the name of REV5!

Rhythmcheck

An invention to make Bob Henrit's digital 'jogging' watch obsolete

Mutually exclusive?

Noise Problems

Just when you thought noise was a thing of the past... Gremlins are back - in a studio near you.

Italian-designed keyboards have received mixed success over the years. Elka's old Rhapsody string synth was a popular instrument in the seventies but their main polysynth, the Synthex, failed to set the world alight. That may well be about to change with the release of their impressive 9-voice, multi-timbral, DX7-soundalike, the EK44, and the 6-voice analogue EK22. Or is it? Mark Jenkins offers his views.

The price guide to end all price guides. This time, we return to drum machines and electronic drum kits, and find a lot has changed in three months.

Guitar

Software for the Atari ST

If computer-based sequencing seems too complicated or too expensive for you, AB Software's Midistudio could change your life. Ian Waugh boots up a friendly and inexpensive sequencer for the Atari ST.

The Video Age

Martin Russ loops the hours away with Version 1.2 of this new MIDI sequencing package for the Atari ST computer from Germany's C-Lab.

Do It Yourself with National Music Day

Wild man Bill Collins looks at the Simmons SDX system and gives us a few drum patterns to try out

Master Bits Sampling Collection 500, 600, 700 and 800

When your music cries out for the sounds of synths that you haven't got, your sampler can be your best friend. Tim Goodyer samples four CDs packed with the sounds of synths, drum machines and even samplers.

Digital Reverb

This long awaited product is now available and offers first class digital reverb along with a host of stereo DDL effects.

Korg's PSS-50, your portable backing band

Studio Check

Rebis recording effects systems — Nobby Line

Making friends in the studio.

Question: What do you do when your synth blows a fuse and you blow your top? Answer: You take it along to London's new Synthesizer Service Centre set up by skilled repairmen Ron Lebar and David Croft. Matthew Newman reports.